Hellcat Squadran: Return of the Hopeful
Hellcat Squadran: Return of the Hopeful is written by User:IceBite, as the sequal to Hellcat Squadran: Redemption (2 years later), and the final story of the Megatron Trilogy. This story features several storylines: Aria being hunted by Nod Assassins, another bid by Megatron-2 to achieve ultimate power, and, most importantly: Megatron-1's wanderings, as he tries to find his place in the universe...and tries to find himself. This story's Prologue is narrated by none other than Megatron-1. Prologue Darkness. Greed. Power. Corruption. Death. Murder. All this was my life. But, is it where I truly belong? I fought for Cybertron; tried to conquer it, so that it will survive. But, it was all for naught: Cybertron was destroyed. Then, this new Cybertron, which was in fact the Creator of my race in disguise, appeared. Then, through him, and that Hellcat squadran Technomancer, I now realize why I've always lost, and why Optimus had always won: He was right, and I was wrong. All this time, his team has been behind him...and mine? Plotting behind my back, mostly. Very few have ever shown me true loyalty, the loyalty Optimus has from his Autobots... Now, the time to leave the plotters behind has truly come. I shall head into the abyss in search of a new me, a me that will not destroy what I have tried to protect. Chapter 1: Dreams All she could see was screens, blueprints, plans that she could not read or comprehend. Aria felt as if she was floating, and frozen. She couldn't move, and it was as though she were forced to see plans, blueprints, and formulas she could not read and has no comprehension of. She squeezed her eyes shut, and waited for it to be over, the last thing she saw was the Triangle and Scorpion Stinger of the Nod Insignia... Next thing she knew, she was sitting bolt upright in her bed. She was breathing heavily. The other 2 individuals in the room: Arielle and 'Strider', looked at her as though she'd been screaming...which, based on what had been happening in her dream, Aria feared was exactly what was going on. 'Strider' then said, "Ok...that's all I need to observe." He then got up and started to leave. "Where are you going?" Aria asked. "To get Draconus," 'Strider' answered, "I don't think he'll want us hiding this from him." ---- Draconus looked at Aria. Despite having worked with her for 69 years, he still only barely trusted her. Now, he was finding out she was having dreams in the night? How far is his trust in her going to be stretched? "After giving this some thought, Aria," he said, "I have decided what's going to happen." Aria seemed to shrink into herself, in fear of what was going to happen. "I'm sending you to Kaven Base, on leave." Aria almost jumped. Being sent to Kaven Base was the last thing she expected. Sent to Kaven Base? That sounded like a vacation. And, while there, she'd be near... "Don't get any ideas. You're on leave, but this is NOT a vacation. I'm mainly sending you there because they'll be more likely to be able to help with these 'dreams' you're having. Aria didn't care. As long as she was near Alban Pahlke, the love of her life, she was alright. ---- Megatron watched the Autobot Jetfire, posing as a transport, picked up the elf, and Megatron stayed out of sight and sensor as Jetfire departed. The cloak he was wearing hid the battle damage from IceBite and May's attack on him 2 years earlier. He remembered how his doppleganger almost killed the Elf Aria 2 years earlier. Even now, it warms his Spark that she survived. Alone, Megatron had watched Hellcat Squadran in secret for the past 2 years. Neither seen or heard, by Coalition, Shadow Alliance, or other, he kept hidden. And, in his years of exile, he thought: on which side did he truly belong. That battle 2 years ago with his old enemy, the Hellcat Squadran Technomancer Holly Lund-Urec, led to the Technomancer deleting a portion of his mind, specifically, the part that fueled his lust for power. Without that, all that remained was his desire to protect Cybertron...and the realization that he indirectly led to its destruction enraged him. In his rage, he attacked his counterpart, who had the Hellcat Squadran Member Alban Pahlke in dire straights. With that, he departed from the battle, leaving the Decepticons in disarray, leading to a Coalition Victory. Since, he'd watched and waited, trying to find where he truly belonged. Although it's been 2 years, he still doesn't know...but he wishes he could find his place. Chapter 2: Reunion Jetfire approached Kaven Base. He announced to his passanger, "Alright, just hold on now, we're coming in for a landing." She looked outside the window, and was delighted to see Alban out there waiting for her. When Jetfire landed, and Aria exited him, she and Alban rushed towards each other and embraced, Alban spinning her around. "It's great to see you again," Alban said happily. Aria just smiled in response, but it was obvious she felt the same way. It was only then that she noticed who else was there. Approaching them was IceBite, standing in his usual slightly-hunched stance; and the spidery Meditron approached. When they arrived, Alban and Aria released each other and faced the group. IceBite then said, "Well, Aria, welcome back to Kaven Base. It's good to see that, this time, you're actually conscious for your arrival." Aria recognized the joke as such, but, before she could respond, Meditron said, "We realize that Draconus sent you here because you've been having dreams." Aria looked at Meditron worryingly, memories of his sharp, metallic figures digging into the hole that was in her chest still fresh. Meditron, realizing the reason, laughed and said, "Do not worry, I'm just here to see how you're holding up." Aria exhaled in relief. The last thing she needed was Meditron rooting around in her brain. Alban then said to her, "Come on, I'll show you around, seeing as you never got a proper tour of the place." Aria nodded, smiling, and followed. ---- In the command room, Megatron-2 stood, fuming. The Shadow-Spark of Unicron leaked from the Armor of Unicron like an Aura of fury. His recent defeats at the hands of Hellcat Squadran were an outrage. The Starscream that replacd Megatron's counterpart when Megatron-1 went rogue was an incompetent coward, much like his own. The only thing he had over his Starscream was that this one wasn't a traitor...at least, yet. Then, he said, "Barricade. Come here." The former follower of Megatron-1 approached his new master. "Send that jittering little bot of yours to Hellcat Squadran's Kaven Base. I have a feeling something's about to happen there. And, contact the Assassin Nod has planted there. Make sure he gets whatever Frenzy picks up." ---- Frenzy clamped onto the crate full of supplies, being taken to Kaven Base. He was ordered by the 'new' Megatron to monitor Kaven Base, and relay the information to Nod's Assassin Network. However, first, he has to evade Hellcat Squadran's touchy Security Systems. In the last 2 minutes alone, he had to cloak from 3 Tachyon Scans and 4 sweeps by security personel. And he still had 2 hours to go. From his perch, he noticed something: Aria the Elf, arriving on the Autobot Jetfire. Frenzy knew she was working for the Guardians of Justice ever since she betrayed Nod...or left it, he doesn't understand the whole 'magic mind control' thing. Either way, if she's a member of the Guardians of Justice, what's she doing at Kaven Base? He realized this may lead to something big, so, Frenzy slinked away from the crate and, completely unnoticed, followed the elf as she and the human Alban entered the base. Chapter 3: Danger After a few hours of showing Aria around, Alban finally showed her to her quarters. It was a large room with only a few basic furnishings: a bed, a desk, and a small dining area. "Sorry it's kind of bland," Alban said, "These quarters are usually designed to be decorated by the occupant." Chatacters Main Characters Coalition/Autobots *Holly *Optimus Prime-1 *Alban Pahlke *Kristine Pahlke *Aria Shadow Alliance/Decepticons *Megatron-2 Neutral *Megatron-1 Other Characters Coalition/Autobots *Arielle *'Strider' *Draconus Rex *Leinad Llehctim *Meditron *Scourge Shadow Alliance/Decepticons *Starscream-1 *Barricade *Frenzy Neutral *Starscream-2 3 Category:Stories